Browsing the "Features" Category

What is the value of humanities research? Why is it a practical component of an undergraduate’s education? The answer is simple. Explorations into literature, philosophy, art, music and poetry teach us how to make sense out of a complex and interdependent world.
Whether they’re deciphering ancient...

Will rapid growth destroy the city's weird and charming vibe?
Walk by a magazine rack and take a look at the headlines. Chances are, you’ll find Austin gracing a “best city” list. Among its many accolades, the Texas state capital has been named the “best city to start a small business,” “best...

As “Pride and Prejudice,” first published in 1813, celebrates its 200th anniversary, Jane Austen is repackaged to appeal to a new generation of readers
On the highbrow end, organizations and libraries around the world are busy hosting academic conferences and readings to celebrate the bicentenary....

Take a walk through the new College of Liberal Arts Building, and the building feels as fresh and modern as it feels warm and lived-in—an impressive feat for a place that just opened in January.
"This is our shot at greatness,” says Randy Diehl, dean of the College of Liberal Arts. “This building...

Despite drastic changes to the iconic accent, most Texans will continue to use their twang in the right situation
Since this story was featured in Life & Letters last spring, English Professor Lars Hinrichs' research on the evolution of the iconic Texas twang has been featured in several national...

Public forum series examines the uncertain future of the book
The Harry Ransom Center’s Gutenberg Bible is among the world’s most valuable books. Printed more than 550 years ago, it is one of only 21 complete copies known to exist.
To discover an intact copy today would be a rare find, but not as rare...

Psychology researchers target vascular disease to prevent the coming flood of Alzheimer's patients
It's called the "Silver Tsunami" - the swelling number of baby boomers surpassing age 65. As medical advancements extend their lives, they're expected to live well into their 80s and 90s - outlasting any generation...

International historian Jeremi Suri looks back at America’s greatest visionaries to show how our nation can achieve greatness again
Some of America’s greatest triumphs were built on dreams. Without dreamers, Neil Armstrong wouldn't have walked on the moon, proving the sky isn't the limit. Steve...

Project gets Texans in the game with free online textbooks, political polling and more
It launched with a modest mission: Providing students at The University of Texas at Austin a free online textbook for a state-required government class.
It didn’t take long for the Texas Politics project to make...

Doomsday scenarios make better fiction than science, says researcher Karl Butzer
For more than 50 years Karl Butzer, a renowned environmental archaeologist at The University of Texas at Austin, has trekked across continents, sifted through countless excavations and pored over collections in some of the world’s...

Host: Christopher Rose, Department of History Guests: Mary Neuburger, Departments of History & Slavic Studies; Yoav Di-Capua, Department of History On October 30, 1918, the Ottoman Empire signed a treaty of capitulation to the Allied Powers aboard the HMS Agamemnon, a British battleship docked in Mudros harbor on the Aegean island of Lemnos. Bulgaria and the Ottoman Empire […]